JOANN DALGARD: Despite troubles, we all can find a home with Jesus

So many people seem to feel lost and displaced. This may have psychological origins, but others are actually homeless or in imminent danger of being so. For the latter, it is more than an indefinable uneasiness.

"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?" (Matthew 6:25 Revised Standard Version)

Consider also, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head." (Matthew 8:20 RSV)

This became more poignant after selling my bed. Yet there are those who have no bed to sell.

Jesus sent his disciples out with these words, "Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money. And whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart." (Luke 9:3-4, RSV)

These concepts seem foreign to a nation of home- owners and consumers. We enjoy having our creature comforts and like to take them with us wherever we go.

Even those who rent accumulate a plethora of things. Not that anything is wrong with enjoying pretty things. Too often, though, it seems our possessions own us and not the reverse.

Factoring travel into the equation adds an element of complication. This became evident while planning and executing a train trip. While having lunch with a friend recently, he wanted to know if my recent travels would be chronicled in an upcoming column. It bore consideration.

Physical and emotional distress related to the trauma of moving sent me looking for Scriptural comfort: "Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me." (John 14:1 RSV)

Sound advice to be sure. Unfortunately, we humans are often given to worry, certain that our fretting will shape the outcome of a situation.

Settling into Scripture as one does an easy chair can provide a soothing balm. Believing in the mind is like having a sofa. The heart's belief is a blanket that wraps one in lingering scents of love.

Some trials take a goodly amount of time to process. A measure of adversity keeps one humble. Humility puts one in touch with those whose station seemed heretofore beneath one's notice.

When preparing for the next phase of life's journey, remember to pack lightly and enjoy the scenery. It may not be pretty, but there is beauty to be found.

And when you find a place where you feel loved and accepted, you will know you've come home.

JoAnn Dalgard is a freelance writer living in Brady. She welcomes reader response at jbdalgard@yahoo.com.